Whether you call them junction boxes or electricity kiosks, some of those big green boxes you see by the side of the road will soon become electric vehicle chargers.
Energy provider Ausgrid and electric vehicle charging company Jolt are partnering to turn these fixtures of our urban landscape into EV chargers.
Jolt says the service will offer 7kWh, or an average of 15 minutes/45kms free charging per day.
If you need to charge your vehicle for longer, you can pay for this through the Jolt app.
Jolt and Ausgrid are working with local councils in the Sydney metropolitan area and plan to have the first of the new charging stations live early next year. The exact number of kiosks that will be converted isn’t yet known.
“I’m excited Ausgrid is part of this world first initiative which is taking existing, essential community infrastructure and breathing new life into it,” said Ausgrid CEO Richard Gross.
One of the councils that will be participating is Northern Beaches Council, with the Australian Electric Vehicle Association locating this mock-up of a converted kiosk on the Council’s website.
The Council has also received a proposal from Ausgrid to add charging stations to low-voltage power poles.
Jolt isn’t the first company to reimagine familiar infrastructure as EV chargers.
JET Charge rolled out lamp post charging stations in the Blacktown and Canada Bay city council areas last year.
While charging stations are becoming more commonplace and many new developments in large Australian cities include them, there’s still a barrier to EV uptake for people who rely on on-street parking.
“Our network of on-street fast chargers will help reduce vehicle ownership costs, eliminate range-anxiety and provide charging options for those that don’t have access to charging at home,” said Jolt CEO Doug McNamee.
“This will help speed up the transition to the widespread use of electric vehicles.”
